Cannabis Part 3

Check out the wrap-up to my 3-Part interview with Rich Ferrazzano of Verano.  We discuss laws, THC, CBD, RSO, edibles, creams, MSO's.  Find out why he thinks society as a whole needs to squash the taboo surrounding marijuana.   Find out if CBD is safe for you pets.
To find out more about Verano check out...

Their website - www.verano.com
LinkedIn - Verano (Verano Holdings - Chicago, IL)
Instagram - @VeranoBrands

Music composed and performed by V. Karaitis

Transcript

Hey!  Thanks for listening!  I’m Chris Wagenti, and this is Who Gets It, Naturally.  Music was composed and performed by V. Karaitis.    I’m not selling anything, diagnosing anything; offering any cures or replacing your doctor.  I’m just sharing my passion for natural products.  If you’re pregnant, please consult your doctor before trying anything new.  Everyone is different so you may need to tweak the recipes a bit to work for you.  Always start with the least amount of essential oils…you can always add, you can’t take away.  Remember, these remedies don’t last forever, you need to reapply as needed.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I use, please substitute for something you’re not allergic to.  Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it.

Ok, again, I’m not condemning or condoning the use of marijuana.  Know your local laws, and do your research.  Educate yourself on the pros and cons of using it.  Let’s jump right in to Part 3 of Cannabis with Rich Ferrazzano of Verano.

RICH: People have become more receptive to using CBD and THC. Believe it or not, a lot of people that are senior citizens are microdosing THC for pain relief.  Our Bits are low THC and, in our Chicago, we’re in Illinois too, by the way, we sell something called Itty Bits, ‘cause people liked (the Bits) so much they were eating the whole bag. 

CHRIS: Oh my God!

RICH: But, it’s like, no, you can’t do that! So now we sell, they’re called Itty Bits, they’re only 1% THC and there’s like 30 of them in a bag.  So, they can consume it and be relatively safe. 

CHRIS: Do you guys have, I know a lot of the dispensaries down here have websites.  Do you have a website or social media they can follow?

RICH: We have social media, on LinkedIn it’s called Verano Brands.  We’re on Instagram as Verano Brands. We display, we have a new product line called the Essence out right now.  To where, we have, um, without getting totally off kilter, we have, we put out nectar cartridges for vaping.  We’re putting out, uh, a new product line that Verano was really proud of and it’s been really receptive around the country so far. 

CHRIS:  Cool.  Is there anything that I haven’t touched on that you want to make known or is there anything you want to share about CBD and cannabis.

RICH:  I hoping that the taboo of cannabis itself goes away.  To where, again, I have to speak for New Jersey, I can’t speak federally.  New Jersey, there’s some counties that don’t even want a dispensary in them, they think there’s gonna be riff raff, ya know, excuse the work riff raff, but they think there’s gonna be riff raff hanging out in the front.  People from Councils and Committees and County Freeholders see lawyers and doctors coming out of a dispensary, they’re like, why? Because it’s still taboo. And it’s a shame.  It’s a real shame.  Federal legalization looks like it’s just around the corner and I’m really hoping it happens this year, because it’s gonna be huge. We fight and struggle and we have to, ya know, we only can buy from certain companies for our PPE.  It’s very, we run a very surgical procedure, where we are, you come into work, me, I don’t have to ‘cause I’m in Logistics, I’m in a warehouse situation, but the harvesters, the packagers, they all come in everyday, change their shoes, change into their scrubs, you wear PPE hair net, no product is touched without surgical gloves.  That’s how clean we work in my facility.  I can’t speak for others, but, it’s just a way of life there.  

CHRIS:  Exactly.  You kinda have to when you’re doing something like this.  Back to legalities and federal, currently, marijuana is listed on the..

RICH: It’s still a Class I Narcotic.

CHRIS: That’s it!  Thank you! 

RICH: You’re welcome.

CHRIS: Yes, it’s a Class I, so, basically, it would have to be taken off of that list to be deemed legal.

RICH: For, no, not necessarily, for decriminalization, it would have to be taken off that list.  Right now, the latest I’ve read with the administration, with the Biden Administration and the DEA, they want to bring it to, declassify it to a Third Grade, which means it would be considered like an aspirin tablet, cough medicine, things of that nature, but then again, with that kind of legislation it could also affect the recreational market, to where, like uh-uh, you can’t do that, it’s a medical device, you still have to go somewhere and purchase it, you might need a medical card.  Which is not a bad thing, it’s easier to get now around the country. 

CHRIS: Oh, yeah.  I know alcohol is a Type II, I believe.

RICH: Alcohol is a Type II.

CHRIS: Alcohol is a Type II, what’s in the bottle needs to be clearly marked on the outside of the bottle.

RICH: Correct, right.

CHRIS: Back to the mushrooms, and I’m only using them because I can compare to the psilocybin/magic mushrooms and stuff.  There are some locations that have decriminalized using magic mushrooms for the sake of doing the microdosing and, etc.  Johns Hopkins has been doing research on it, I know there are lots of research and papers… I use a lot of NCIB website, National 

RICH:  Uh-uh, that’s smart

CHRIS: And I go to them to find a lot of the research and stuff.  I am sure there’s a plethora, I haven’t researched it yet, but I’m sure there’s a plethora of marijuana research on those sites.

RICH: Oh my gosh, you don’t even know.  It’s ridiculous.

CHRIS: Rabbit hole like you wouldn’t believe.

RICH: Big time.

CHRIS: And I always stress to my listeners, do your research.  You need to find out what you’re dealing with.

RICH: Make sure you do the proper research.

CHRIS: Yeah. Exactly, it’s like, don’t just go to one site, you gotta look at a lot of different, there’s Science Direct that I use, there’s just so many different websites, and a lot of the stuff will come up when you search it, you gotta, critical thinking is just so important.  You gotta know who did the research, who are they affiliated with, what was the intent of the research, because, let’s face it, statistics can be skewed.

RICH: Sure, absolutely.  Listen to medical professionals, listen to scientists.  They will give you the pure and unadulterated facts of what cannabis does to you, how it affects you, what it will do for you body and what it won’t do for your body.  CBD, same exact thing.  We have, there is a, I know of one medical patient in New Jersey, she’s 15 years old.  She was given rights, she has, I don’t know the exact medical term, her brain is in a constant state of epilepsy. 

CHRIS: Oh, wow.

RICH: And she’s been taking high dose CBD, small does THC and her epilepsy stopped. She didn’t have to keep taking all the epilepsy medications, that’s really not good for your body, but you do what you gotta do. 

CHRIS: Yeah, exactly.

RICH: Ya know, it helps. People are like, oh, how can you give that to children. It’s not, it’s not, stop with the taboo crap. We’re just trying to make a kid or a young person have a chance at life, and have a decent life to go to school and go to high school, go to college.  To have a normal life.  It’s sad the way the medical professional hasn’t wrapped their hands around a plant that grew naturally, the Egyptians used CBD for hundreds of things.  It’s just like I said, it’s the “Reefer Madness”, ya can’t, ya know, shame on Richard Nixon for what he did when he started the DEA. He ruined something that could have been huge and could have been well taken care of a long time ago and now we’re fighting to get it legalized nationally and federally.  We’re close, we’re this close to getting it.  When it became recreational in New Jersey I was elated.  I got into this … I left, I resigned my job, I was at my job 21 years.  I was in the coin operated video games, Dave & Busters, all of that stuff, and I got into this because I’m helping somebody, ya know.  We’re helping the stoners as well, too, but the medical field, we’re helping soldiers, we’re helping not have to take 40 pills a day. When my mom passed away she was taking 40 medications.  How can that be good for you? 

CHRIS: Exactly, it’s not.  You’re destroying your liver.

RICH: Yeah, yeah.  There is no ill effects from cannabis on your liver or any of your organs, so far from what they’ve seen.  

CHRIS:  That’s what drove me into doing this, my website, I mean the podcast.  I don’t make any money from this. It’s my passion..

RICH: You feel the need.

CHRIS: Yes, there are alternatives. And you don’t have to load up on pain killers to get rid of the inflammation, or, there’s so many natural ways of taking care of everything, and just giving that to your body…your body will naturally heal itself.

RICH:  I have a family member who’s been taking methadone for 30 years. 

CHRIS: Oh my God!!

RICH: Synthetic heroine.  I’m like, dude you gotta stop. It’s not good for you. That’s all it is is synthetic heroine.  It’s not good for you. 

CHRIS: Anything synthetic is …

RICH: Right!

CHRIS: And that’s exactly like I said before, that’s exactly what they’re doing.  They’re finding out how this stuff works, how these compounds in the plants, what they do and how they work, and they try to imitate that. 

RICH: Correct.  Right. Exactly.

CHRIS:  Is there something that you want people to know about cannabis or CBD or THC that is not commonly known?

RICH: Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid, it’s not going to hurt you.  I’m not saying try it and use it, it might not be your thing, and I respect that, but respect what we do. Respect what we do, we’re trying to make a difference out there.  We’re trying to help people.  Ya know, like I said, we make the stoner happy, great.  You want to live that life style, great. I respect it.  I always admired it.  It’s not harmful, it’s not…street cannabis, get away from it.  I understand that, get it off the streets, get the bad stuff off the street.  But us, we have chemistry professionals.  I have worked with a girl who was a biological plant engineer.  She knew the ins and outs and every part of the plant, so smart, so smart.  Even before I started this job I took a class called Cannabis Certified at Rockland Community College, where I am, and it just opened my head to more, like, wow I didn’t know this, wow I didn’t know that. Going from growing weed in the 80’s, you get prick week, where got the stems, the plants everything, to where now, you get a beautiful little jar with a nice little label on it.  And you don’t have to worry about what’s in it, because it’s been tested 3 times. 

CHRIS:  Exactly.  It’s safer than buying a dime bag off of somebody you don’t know down in Passaic somewhere.

RICH: There’s the Passaic reference, there ya go!  Good for you!  If you don’t know what it’s about, you’re in Oklahoma, like you said, there’s dispensaries all over in Oklahoma.  I know there’s tons and tons of grow facilities.  If you don’t know about it, don’t be afraid to ask.  I have people ask me questions all the time. I’d be more than happy to give you the information.  Just don’t downfall us for what we’re trying to do for people, what we’re trying to do for the community.

CHRIS:  There’s good that can be had with it, as long as it’s used right.  It’s when you get the dumb asses that decide, you know, take it too far, or oh, let’s cut this and try to make some money, or ya,know.  Used right, there’s good.

RICH: There was a lot of loop holes in the laws in New Jersey, when the medical, when the laws were, when they took the leash off a little bit, you went to a gas station dispensary, you bought a 2 oz. hand sanitizer for $80 then they would give you a free gift of cannabis.  It was a loop hole in the law and they tightened it, they realized what was going on.  They caught that. 

CHRIS: Yeah, what’s that saying, one bad apple.

RICH: Ruins the bunch. 

CHRIS:  Yeah, and like I said, there is good in it.

RICH: There’s a lot of good.  I have a friend that works with ABC in New Jersey, Alcoholic Beverage Commission.  Alcohol sales in New Jersey are down 25%.  Motor vehicle accidents are down 15%.

CHRIS:  Wow.

RICH: Yeah, yeah.  And they’re opening smoking lounges in New Jersey, for cannabis products. 

CHRIS: Really?

RICH: Yeah, there’s some stupid laws tied to it.  You’re not allowed to serve food in the cannabis lounge, but you can have food delivered and you can bring food in.  It’s…you know, we all have to play politics to get what we want.

CHRIS: Yeah.  It’s a shame, but yeah.  Did I not bring something up that you wanted to be brought up?

RICH: No, you did your homework.  You did a good job.

CHRIS: Thank you.

RICH: And tell people CBD is also good for pets. 

CHRIS: Is it?

RICH: Yes!

CHRIS: Thank you!

RICH: It’s very good for your pets for anxiety, separation anxiety.  Don’t give them anxiety medication from your veterinarian.  Go and talk to a vet, you can give your animal CBD, just watch the dose.  You won’t kill them, but they’ll be sleeping for along time if you, ya know.

CHRIS: So like on the 4th of July if your dog freaks out at firecrackers..

RICH: Right, give them CBD in their food and it will help them.

CHRIS: Wow!  Thank you, yes. Because I did do an episode on pets and essential oils 

RICH: CBD is good to use with them.

CHRIS: That is good to know. Rich, thank you so much again! Shout out to your social media, LinkedIn…

RICH: Yeah, Verano Brands is on LinkedIn.  Verano Brands is on Instagram, not so much, ya know, we’re on Facebook, but we’re more visible on Instagram and LinkedIn.  We’re always hiring.  We’re always looking for people. Come join the cannabis industry, it’s interesting.  If you like farm work, you come inside, we’re a working growing farm.  All we grow, we grow inside.

CHRIS: Awesome! Anything else, anything you want to plug, anything else you want to say.

RICH: No, I’m good!

CHRIS: Thank you so much, it was so good seeing you and talking to you.

RICH: You as well. 

As always, If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me at vobyjypsee@usa.com … You can follow me on X and Instagram … @vobyjypsee; or LinkedIn…search either Chris Wagenti, Who Gets It, Naturally or Voice Overs by Jypsee.  Please download this episode, and make Who Gets It, Naturally a favorite on your preferred channel so you don’t miss an episode.

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